Forget me not
by angelicat123
Summary: And the words that echoed, that were finally uttered after what seemed like a century of silent snowflakes that tried to swallow the land up, one by one by one. “Who are you?” That was when his world shattered. HitsuHina.
1. Prologue: Numb

**A/N**: Hello, readers! I'm coming back after a looooong (almost a year, maybe) break from writing fanfiction. This idea has been bugging me for a while now, ever since finishing the Soul Society arc of Bleach, and so I have decided to once again pick up the pen (or type on the keyboard). I absolutely adore Hitsugaya x Hinamori, and this pairing was the first one I approved of as I watched Bleach (IchiRuki, Uryu x Orihime, Gin x Matsumoto, all of those came later). Their past and present are just so touching, and their stories can switch easily from laugh-my-ass-off-hilarious to ones that make me want to bawl my eyes out. My first attempt at a HitsuHina fanfic, below, is going to be a serious one… hmm… the prologue (which this is) borderlines angsty. Ah well. Hope you enjoy!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Bleach. No duh.

Prologue

_Numb_

The pure, white flakes of cold snow, so pristine, so beautiful, covering the bare arms of trees, the curved tiles of the roof, the once green and brown ground of the grounds, seemed almost ironic. He had been watching those little flakes float down, watching one, by one, by one, each unique, each slowly falling, falling, falling, until it became one with the smooth carpet that covered the land.

Almost unconsciously, he had one of his calloused, warm hands around one of her pale and cold ones. Her limp hand seemed so small compared to his. So utterly helpless, so utterly emotionless, so utterly lifeless that it made him want to scream himself hoarse to the heavens and demand why her, why her, why those warm eyes, why that soft smile and cheerful grin, why the playful "Shiro-chan"s said with affection in her voice, why was it all taken away from him?

He gave her hand a soft squeeze, a desperate squeeze, and tried not to crush her hand and yell in her face to wake up now, right now, because if you don't I'll go insane, I can feel it, wake up, wake up, please, don't leave me, not you, anyone but you.

Her hand twitched slightly.

Perhaps he would've been surprised, should've been surprised, should've been delirious and shouting with joy as his body unfroze and his clear, aqua eyes slowly, ever so slowly, managed to travel up from her hands to her face, to her eyes, deep brown, just like he remembered, almost like he remembered. He hadn't seen those eyes in so long.

But he could feel the tension, feel somewhere, somehow, something was not right, some piece was out of place. Those eyes, her eyes, they were there, they were open, yes, he could see her… but she could not see him. Even before a word escaped her mouth, even before a movement could warn him, he could feel that foreboding dread and a growing sense of panic eating away at his hollow chest, leaving an ache that made each breath labored. He felt like he was drowning, drowning in the snow, drowning in his dread, drowning in those eyes, those blind, lost eyes.

He was sure. She could not see him.

And the words that echoed, that were finally uttered after what seemed like a century of silent snowflakes that tried to swallow the land up, one by one by one.

"Who are you?"

That was when his world shattered.

She sat up slowly, weak, thin arms trembling as they pushed her thin frame up. "Who…" she asked again, and her pale arm reached out to wipe tears that should not exist on his face, but did. Her eyes widened as her voice caught.

"Who… am I?" she managed to whisper pass the catch in her throat, fear saturating every word. It would be terrifying, he supposed vaguely, to wake up not knowing who you were. He didn't know whether the slow, trickling moisture that ran down his cheeks were from joy or sorrow. It was probably both, he presumed.

Silence dragged his head down. "Momo. Hinamori Momo," Hitsugaya finally replied, a whisper that was forced out through numb lips. He felt as if he had just walked through a snowstorm; his whole body was cold and frozen, unable to move or feel.

"W… what?" she said, a trembling in her voice, "I'm sorry?"

"Hinamori Momo. That's who you are." Again the soft voice, under which was so full of pain and joy and sorrow and relief and… he was quite sure that humans, including shinigami, weren't supposed to feel this many emotions at once. They would break. Right now, he was wondering why hadn't broken yet. Or maybe he had. Maybe that's why he was so numb.

**A/N**: Hm. Well, wasn't that all figurative language-y. I have the first chappie almost finished, although I probably won't finish it because school starts in two days and I'm screwed 'cuz I still have tons of homework… that's me, the procrastinator.

Please take the time to review! They would be extremely appreciated, and would also speed up the process of updating :) !!


	2. Chapter 1: Memories of Watermelons

**A/N**: Konnichiwa! Here's the first chappie!! It sounds pretty serious in the beginning and all, but I was quite a humor-y mood, and so when it comes to the flashback of how Hitsugaya and Hinamori met, there'll be some fluffy funniness. Enjoy!

Chapter 1

_Memories of Watermelons_

"She forced herself to forget, didn't she?" Hitsugaya asked quietly as he watched the other finish her check-up on Hinamori, "She didn't want to remember."

"Yes… that is probably the reason she has lost her memory," was Unohana's gentle reply, "If her mind was anguished enough, it is possible. After all, she did not suffer any type of head injury that could have caused this type of trauma." From her position next to Hitsugaya, she reached out a comforting hand and patted his shoulder.

"… maybe… maybe it's better this way," he said softly after a period of silence.

-----

"Ah! Hitsugaya-kun!" Momo exclaimed. A small smile tweaked a corner of his mouth, and a feeling of déjà vu and nostalgia swept over him. "Really, Hinamori-san, it's Hitsugaya-taichou," he replied, a sentence said so often it felt natural and instinctive.

Except for the –san, of course. But he felt that it would be more comfortable towards Momo if he were not so forward. She did, after all, have no recollections of him. And yet…

"Mou, Hitsugaya-kun! What's with the –san!" she whined, and this time his lips spread in a larger smile. And yet she insisted that he call her without the suffix. He supposed she felt a special loyalty to him, because he had been the first one she had seen upon waking into this world.

He would never let himself hope that the actual reason was because she still felt, even without her memories, the connection between them that they had shared before.

"Here," he said, taking out a package and unwrapping the waxy white paper, "I brought you some red bean-paste buns. I'm sorry I haven't been able to visit you more often." He wouldn't tell her that the reason behind his decreased visits was due to the fact that, what would be known as the Winter War, was soon approaching. Everyone, from the lowest shinigami to the captains, were training and preparing for the inevitable battle against Aizen and the Arrancars.

He stopped his train of thought abruptly. Whenever he thought of that traitorous and what he had done, Hitsugaya was prone to lose his temper… and he did not want that to happen in front of naïve and Hinamori.

"Waaa! Thank you, Hitsugaya-kun!" Hinamori squealed as he handed the steaming buns to her, blissfully unaware and ignorant of the preparations around her. All traces of her memory had been erased, an act of last resort, it seemed, done by her own mind.

He watched her contentedly as she stuffed a bun in her mouth let out a muffled giggle of pleasure. "They used to be one of your favorites." The words left his mouth before he had a chance to think it through. He froze, wondering if he had brought up a sore point: her lost memory.

But Hinamori was not to be fazed from her good mood. "Really?" she said happily, "I can understand why." There was a moment of silence, the only sound being a steady chewing.

Hinamori swallowed. "Um… Hitsugaya-kun?" she suddenly murmured timidly.

"Hm?" he snapped out of his content daze, one that, even if he tried to repress, always seemed to creep in and cloud his mind whenever he was around her. She still had the power to do that to him…

"I… I really want to thank you," she smiled shyly, "You've been so kind to me, bringing me food and visiting me so often."

"Baka," he muttered, turning his head a bit so she wouldn't see him blush from the soft yet intense look she was giving him, "Of course I would."

"Ah… well… you… I… we knew each other… before, I mean… right?" Hinamori asked hesitantly, "I've been wondering. I mean, I've wanted to know… who were you? To me?"

For a moment, the room wavered, and then settled back into place. Hitsugaya took in a shaky breath. He had certainly not been expecting this, although, now that he thought about it, he should have. It was common sense that Hinamori would be inquisitive as to why this captain-ranked young individual would take out so much time of his busy schedule to visit her every day, if not more often.

"We…" for some reason, he struggled with forcing the words out. "We… were… childhood friends." He finally managed to say.

"Really?" Hinamori's voice was full of curiosity, "Where did we meet?"

"In Rukongai," was Hitsugaya's slow reply. His eyes grew unfocused as he stared out into the courtyard, where small snowflakes were, once again, beginning to drift downwards, a premonition of the larger blizzard that would soon hit. The sky was dark and gray, clouds clotting the horizon.

"We met in Rukongai…"

-----

The day they met was sunny and scorching. Summer had comfortably settled in the 1st District of Rukongai, and a feeling of ennui, spurred by the intense heat, led to either elongated naps or irritable fanning.

Hitsugaya, known to the residents as "the white-haired ice boy," was lying contentedly on the shaded side of the angled rooftop of a house, lightly snoozing. He was a short and thin boy, even back then, and was wearing a loose white hakama. He was also barefoot. His rest, however, was soon disturbed by muffled and angry shouts that came from below.

He opened one eye blearily, and the little scowl that was always between his eyebrows grew more pronounced. Mumbling grumpily, he hoisted himself onto knees and peered from over the shingles to see what all the commotion was. That was the first time he set his eyes on her.

She had her delicate eyebrows in a deep frown, and her lip was curled in the way that Hitsugaya would later be well acquainted with, unbeknownst to him at the time. Even as a young child, Hinamori still had that stubborn streak.

"It's mine," her little voice argued hotly, unperturbed by the older boys with their amused smirks and crossed arms that surrounded her, "I grew it for my obaa-chan! And I'm gonna use the seeds to grow a whole forest of 'em."

"Look, stupid little girl," the largest boy sighed, a rather fat boy with a clean and crisp, fancily printed hakama. Just at that sight, Hitsugaya's scowl deepened. He had had several contacts with that boy and his posse before, and none of them had been friendly chats. Hitsugaya had always hated bullies (and he would not admit they swarmed to him because they were attracted by his small stature, believing him to be an easy target). He had learned long ago to send each one that came to him away with either a black eye or broken nose. He had done so enough times, in fact, to warrant himself a reputation among the groups. The violence, of course, did no good to his image in the commoners' eyes, either. More wariness and avoidance would always follow.

"Either you give it us, or we'll take it from you," the chubby boy continued, with a hint of menace, "It's easy. Don't think we won't put a foot on your pretty little face just 'cause you're a . And we can kill you just as easily."

Hitsugaya had no doubt that the bully would resort to violence. He knew that type was just the sort that wouldn't care about punching another child, even a girl, and was the type who wasn't used to being refused anything. The white-haired boy craned his head a bit more to see what the dumb little girl was guarding so preciously, curious.

It was large. And round. And green. Striped. Hitsugaya stared.

Was it a vegetable? Wait wait… the said she would grow a forest of them… it was a tree?! Well… it was certainly the most damn weird tree he had ever seen in his life. And was it worth her life for it? Or a couple bruises anyways... he didn't think the stupid fatty would be dumb enough to really kill her…

"No! You don't have any right to take my watermelon away!" she shouted furiously.

Hitsugaya blanched. Was that suicidal?! Or maybe just plain stupid.

…And what was a watermelon?

An angry growl alerted him to the fat boy's action, and before Hitsugaya knew it, he found himself standing on the dusty ground, one strong, thin hand blocking the bigger boy's punch. The small, white-haired boy stood with the quiet intensity that earned him is reputation, that made the older boys' voices clog with fear, and that made them take a couple steps back.

Stupid chivalry.

Without blinking an eye, he turned around to the surprised , asking gruffly, "You okay?"

"… H... hai…" she answered, still a bit stunned at the sudden appearance.

"You…"

At that, Hitsugaya turned his back to his opponent, whose hand was still being calmly blocked.

"Little ice boy, get out of my way," the chubby boy snarled, in a bold voice compared to his shaking body.

Hitsugaya merely glared. "Look," he sighed, "Don't go making trouble for yourself. Whatever you want, it looks like it belongs to her -" he jerked his head in her direction, " –so you can't just take it. And didn't your momma ever teach you not to hit a girl?"

"Little babies still out of their crib need to keep their mouths shut!" the fat boy just shouted angrily in response, and aimed a punch with his free hand.

The next thing he knew, he was flat on the ground on his stomach, his arms held behind him, his face kissing the dust, and a thin foot placed firmly on his fat ass.

"You really should know better by now," Hitsugaya smirked as he watched his catch struggle and curse loudly, "So… once I let go of you, you and your little clique'll just head your own ways, right?"

When all he got as an answer were more curses, he put more of his weight onto his foot and tightened his grip on the boy's arms. "Right?" he repeated, this time with a more ominous echo to his voice that sent chills down the others' spines.

The leader finally nodded his assent, and Hitsugaya smirked as he let go. And suddenly felt his body thrown backwards from the hard blow that made contact with his jaw.

"Ouch," was all he allowed himself to think before his body jumped into action on instinct, and with a well-aimed kick, he had the fat leader down on the ground, his hands holding his crotch. Numerous more well-aimed elbows, jabs, punches, and kicks produced multiple winded gasps, various black eyes, and one broken nose. Another lost a tooth. Maybe two.

In the end, his stubbornness won out and it was the bullies who finally backed away, fleeing to nurse sore and stinging injuries.

Rather than feeling elated as he watched the group scurry away down the road, he only felt extremely tired. And watching their stumbling steps and the little flurries of dust they left in their wake, he couldn't help but feel extremely… alone. Déjà vu gripped him. People had always run from him, and would always do so.

He had completely forgotten about the little until she cleared her throat. As he turned around, he saw her eyes widen. With what, he was too tired to figure out.

"You look horrible," she finally said after a period of silence. Now that she was standing up, he could see that she was a bit taller than him. And that irked him a bit.

He shrugged wordlessly.

She stood up and straightened. "Come with me into the house," she suggested, "We can take care of your injuries there."

He just turned around and replied coldly, "They look worse than they feel. I've gotten worse, anyways."

Before he could start to walk away, however, he found a small, smooth hand firmly grasping his own. "Come with me," she repeated. This time it sounded more like a command.

And because he was really too exhausted to argue with the stubborn look on the girl's face, and because the lonely feeling was really starting to gnaw at his chest, he followed her past the watermelon she was guarding into the house behind.

After the and a kindly old lady, who Hitsugaya learned was the 's precious "obaa-chan," put some stinging salve on his wounds and bandaged some of the more serious ones with gentle hands, Hitsugaya had to admit to himself that letting himself get dragged here was a good idea. The sharp pains were reduced to mere aching throbs, and, as he watched the little cheerfully blabber on about some random subject and the old lady with her kind, wrinkled face smiling gently at him, he felt the emptiness in his chest dissolve and was replaced with a warmth that startled him.

As soon as the last bandage was wrapped around his leg, he found himself, once again, being dragged by the taller girl, this time out of the house. And swinging from her other hand was a large, glinting knife.

"W-w-wai-wai-wait!" Hitsugaya cried out in alarm, although orienting his body so that his weight was thrown backwards didn't seem to help slow down the dragging, "What's that knife for?!" Was it customary for them to butcher up guests or something?!

"It's for cutting the watermelon, of course!" the stated the girl matter-of-factly, not relenting in her insistent tugging.

They reached the green striped melon, and the finally let go of him. He sulked and rubbed his sore arm while she carefully cut it off the vine, and then, with quite some grunting, muttering, and a lot of effort, managed to cut it into slices.

Hitsugaya stared at the glistening pink-red flesh on a green rind that was being offered to him. He took the slice bewilderingly, and the girl grinned happily, sitting down on the soft grass. "Sit," she invited, indicating by patting the grass next to her. They sat facing the fast-setting sun, with the sky a watercolor of light pinks and purples. Wispy clouds were suspended lightly in the darkening sky, with a shadow of gentle pink cast over them.

He sat, and watched with curious fascination as she bit into the sweet fruit, light juice dribbling down her chin and she gave a sigh of happiness. After wiping away the juice with her sleeve, she turned her head to see Hitsugaya staring at her. "So it's a food," he thought vaguely.

"Watermelons are always the best thing to eat during the summer," she grinned.

"… Watermelons?" he finally asked.

Now she stared. "You haven't ever eaten a watermelon?" she gasped. Personally, Hitsugaya thought she was rather overreacting, with her horrified expression and distress-saturated words. She frowned as he nodded.

"Well then, this is your first watermelon slice!" she declared with a triumphant voice, "Let's celebrate!" And she promptly took another huge bite, giving a small "mph!" of pleasure.

"Eat!" she cried adamantly when she saw that he was still staring at the fruit with a wary and cautious expression. Reaching an arm over, she forcefully pushed his head towards the melon that sat in his hands.

"O-oi!" he yelled, trying not to let his face get mashed into the red fruit, "I'll eat, I'll eat, okay?!" Muttering darkly as she let go with a chuckle, he took a tentative nibble.

Cold sweetness touched his tongue; he let out a "mm!" of surprise. Timidly, he took a bite, and found a grin work its way onto his face as he chewed.

"It's good, huh?" the girl practically beamed at him. He couldn't help but nod happily as he took another bite. For a while, they sat together in contented peace, gazing at the setting sun.

"Ne, what's your name?" the girl suddenly asked, turning towards him.

After swallowing a particularly large bite of watermelon, he replied, "Hitsugaya Toshiro."

"I'm Hinamori Momo," she responded with a smile, "Ne, Toshiro-kun… I'm going to grow a big forest of watermelons. When I do, can you… I mean… will you guard them for me?" she blurted out the end, blushing furiously.

He usually would've said no. He would've snorted or sneered and given some one-word answer and walked away, rolling his eyes. But instead, as he looked at her flushed face and averted eyes, soft and brown and warm, he couldn't find the heart to even reply with a nice refusal.

"Only…" he started slowly, and took another bite. He forced back a smirk as her head shot up hopefully. "… Only…?" she encouraged, fidgeting.

He swallowed. "Only… if we can always eat watermelons like this together," he finished. The words came out unintentionally shyly, and he found himself blushing.

At that she gave a shout of joy, flinging her arms around him and giving him a huge hug. "That's not an 'only,' that's an 'of course'!" she laughed gleefully.

"A-ah! Oi! Get offa me!" he protested, swatting his sticky hands at her arms. She laughed again, but let go, returning to her former position.

"Okay then…" she mused about something, and he looked at her curiously. "You'll have to live with us then, Shiro-chan!" She whipped her arms into another tight hug, nuzzling his baby-fat cheek with hers.

"Oi oi oi!! Let go!" he yelled again, "Wait! What?! Live with you? W-why?! Hey! Get OFF! And Shiro-chan?!?! What the hell is up with that?!"

"So many questions, Shiro-chan," she giggled, "Okay. First of all, I'm not letting go, 'cuz now you're family and I can hug you all I want! Second, the watermelon forest is gonna be in front of our house, so if you guard it you have to live with us, right? And third, Toshiro is too long of a name, and Shiro-chan is so cute! To_shiro_, right? And you're hair is white!" She ruffled said hair, and he groaned. Life with this looked like it was going to be crazy to the extreme.

But as he looked up into her beaming face, he found himself not really caring, and even welcoming it. She did not shun him. She did not scoot away whenever he passed, did not avert her eyes whenever she saw him, did not whisper behind his back and give fearful glances. She hugged him, she smiled at him, she ruffled his hair and gave him ridiculous nicknames. It was odd, it was foreign, it was something totally alien and totally new, but he found himself welcoming it with open arms. And from that point on there was no severing the thread that bound him to her. She was his sole candle in the darkness, the lantern at night, the light at the end of the tunnel; she was his hope.

Arigato, Momo.

-----

"Hitsugaya-kun?" Hinamori asked softly.

"Mmm?" he turned his head slowly and gave a gentle, intense, and rather dazed smile. She blushed.

"Ah… you were… you seemed kind of lost…" she managed to utter.

His smile grew nostalgic. "I… was just remembering some things," he reassured her quietly.

"What thi-" Hinamori started to ask, puzzled and curious, but was cut off by a loud female yell.

"Hinamori-chaaaaaaaaaaaaan!!!!"

**A/N**: Wow! 6 pages! That must be a record for me! Well, I did have a lot of inspiration for this chapter. Yayishness ! And this chappie was _much_ more humorous than the prologue (although this story will definitely not be on the more humorous side in the end; it'll be angst and tragedy and tears and romance and all that good stuff. Lol.) Although I realize that I haven't revealed the main plot yet (well, besides the memory-losing and all that)… okay, just to tell you guys, it has to do with Aizen (lol, no duh) and the Winter War that's coming soon.

Hmmm. I made some corrections to the document . Every time the word "girl" should've been there, it wasn't... and some other words or letters were missing too... I guess it just got a little screwed while uploading...

Please review! Onegai! They really do drive my inspiration, and I would really like to know what readers think of my story! If you are a person who appreciates this story and wants to read more, please click that review button!


	3. Chapter 2: Kind Lies

A/N: Hello again! I'm so sorry I haven't been updating; finals ended recently, and I've finally gotten back into my writing mood. Although, many readers haven't helped me much in that category. I don't expect for the reviews to pour in, but for a person to favorite and alert my story without taking five seconds to tell me your opinion on it is really quite annoying!

But, setting that negative note aside, I (finally) present to you the second chapter! Enjoy .!

Chapter 2

_Kind Lies_

Hitsugaya groaned, his head falling onto his arm, as he heard the obnoxious, shrill call of his fukutaichou. "Matsumoto…" he ground out, and yelled back, "You are _supposed_ to be doing your _paperwork_ right now! And I doubt you've finished those five stacks already!"

Silence. "T-taichou?!?!?!" came a screech, and both members of the room winced. The shriek was followed by a barely audible muttering, "Damn. I should've known he would be here. Stupid taichou."

"Matsumoto…" a very irate captain growled, and Hinamori burst into laughter.

The person whom Hitsugaya was currently annoyed with suddenly rushed into the room with a mischievous sparkle in her eye.

"Neh neh neh, Hinamori-chan!" she whined pitifully, giving the startled girl a huge hug with both arms and assets, "I was dying in there! And all I wanted to do was just come to see you for a bit and relieve some of that awful stress and those cricks in my back and arms and fingers and everywhere! But…" she sniffed loudly, "I guess I'll have to be going now. Taichou insists that I finish that grueling work, shut in that horrid office all alone, with only stacks and stacks of paperwork to keep me company…"

Her devious ploy worked magnificently on kind and sympathetic Hinamori. Hitsugaya groaned as she turned her teary eyes toward him; he already knew what was coming and what it would result in.

"Hitsugaya-kun," Hinamori cried out, returning Matsumoto's hug, "Poor Rangiku-san! Have some pity!" Matsumoto nodded ferociously.

Hitsugaya turned away from those pleading eyes and let out an annoyed hiss.

"Hitsugaya-kuuuun…"

"Fine fine fine!" he snapped, still not turning his head back.

"Hitsugaya-kun!" she squealed happily, letting go of his vice-captain to throw her arms around him. He barely got a chance to appreciate the feeling of her body against his before his face was suffocated by two... well, the usual.

"Taichoooouuu!" Matsumoto shrieked happily, "I love you soooooo much!"

"Mmmgtmm!"

"… Taichou?"

"MmmGTMM!"

"Hitsugaya-kun? Are you okay?"

"…MMMGTMM!!"

"Taichou?" Matsumoto asked again, this time letting go of him to see his face.

"I _said_, LET GO OF ME!" he finally got to yell out, panting loudly. Hinamori giggled at his disheveled appearance.

As the embarrassed Hitusgaya growled at the laughing Hinamori, Matsumoto's obnoxious grin was replaced with a soft smile. She wished this could go on forever.

Hell, if she was going to wish, she might as well wish for as much as she could. She wished Gin hadn't betrayed her. She wished he would come back. She wished this war didn't have to happen. She wished she, or her taichou, wouldn't have to participate. She wished that Hinamori's memories hadn't been forgotten. She wished taichou could tell her what really happened, and who she really is. Hinamori would find out one day; they couldn't keep the secret forever.

Most of all, Matsumoto wished that this little moment, one in which two young people in love bantered with each other, would last forever.

But it wasn't meant to happen. The shinigami would set out the day after tomorrow, to fight the final battle that would decide the fates of both them and the arrancar. Hitsugaya would leave Hinamori; he would be struggling on the bloody battlefield as she sat in this hospital bed, oblivious to the violence and the danger that he would be in.

"Hey, Hinamori?" Hitsugaya asked seriously, and her laughter was replaced with a cheerful smile. "Hm?"

"We'll be leaving… leaving on a long mission the day after tomorrow," he said softly, as Matsomoto whipped her head around to look at him disapprovingly. He ignored her. "Actually, many… if not most, of the shinigami will be going. Preparations will take all of tomorrow. So… so this'll be the last time I can visit you in a long time, okay?"

"Oh… okay, Hitsugaya-kun," her face fell, "I'll miss you and Rangiku-san. Is it a dangerous mission?" She looked at him worriedly.

"… No. It's not dangerous, just long," Hitsugaya replied quietly, and Matsumoto grit her teeth.

"Okay then!" Hinamori smiled happily, "Stay safe, and come back soon!"

"Yeah…" Hitsugaya smiled faintly.

Matsumoto wanted to scream. You're going away to war, where there's no promise that you won't be frickin _killed_, and that's all you leave her with?! If anyone she knows dies, what will be told to her?! If _you_ die, what will I tell her?! Are these lies all you're going to leave her with?!

Hitsugaya rose, and turned to leave. But then he turned around, suddenly, leaned down, and placed a soft kiss on Hinamori's forehead.

She blushed furiously, speechless, and he gave slight grin. And then he was gone, in a whoosh of his white captain's robe. Matsumoto gave Hinamori a quick hug as the girl wished her well, and followed her captain.

They walked side-by-side, in silence, for a while.

"Taichou?" Matsumoto finally asked.

"… Yes?"

"You'd better not die out there."

"… I don't plan on it."

"… Good. I don't want to be the one explaining to Hinamori-chan why the person she trusts most lied to her."

He had nothing to say to that.

**A/N**: Well, that was a short chapter. I pondered on whether to end it there or not; it seemed too short, but adding another section didn't seem to fit. So, in the end, I decided to leave it as it was. The next update should be much sooner than this one, though, as well as longer .. And the humor pretty much ends here, too, I think…

I estimate that there will be about… oh, maybe two to three more chapters before this story ends. I already have another one planned :P (HitsuHina, 'course, set in a universe in which the shinigami lost the Winter War). Which actually isn't good, because I tend to get sidetracked by my new idea and discard the old one T.T (it's a horrible habit of mine). Reviews do help in that area, though... _hint hint _:P… Ah well. So, if you're interested, keep an eye out for my new story :D! … which is currently titleless -.-…

Constructive criticisim and corrections are welcome!


End file.
